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Not many would know this, but a clinic in Alor Setar, Kedah, carries a name that reflects former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's love for his late wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali
According to Bernama, administrative assistant Mercy Samuel, 69, who has worked at Maha Klinik for nearly 50 years, said the clinic's name is a combination of Mahathir and Hasmah's names.
"They met while studying together in Singapore. After they completed their studies and married, Tun Dr Mahathir decided to leave public service to open his own clinic.
"As a token of his love for his beloved wife, who was always by his side and a source of inspiration, he immortalised the combination of their names on the Maha Klinik signboard," Mercy told reporters at the clinic yesterday, 28 September.
Maha Klinik staff Dr Reshampreet Kaur (left) and Mercy Samuel (right).
Image via Zuliaty Zulkiffli/New Straits TimesMaha Klinik first opened in Pekan Melayu in 1957 before moving to its current location on Jalan Sultan Badlishah in 1979
Mercy said the clinic was Malaysia's first Bumiputera private clinic and remains the only patented clinic registered under the names of Dr Mahathir and Dr Siti Hasmah.
She said Dr Mahathir handed the clinic over to Datuk Dr Mohamed Yacob Dawood in the late 1970s, but whenever the couple returned, they would still come by and ask about the clinic staff.
"Every Ramadan, they never failed to invite the clinic staff to break fast together at their niece's or nephew's home in Alor Setar," she said.
The clinic assistant added that Dr Siti Hasmah's passing has deeply affected the clinic's staff, who remember her as a humble and maternal figure
Meanwhile, Maha Klinik medical officer Dr Reshampreet Kaur, 39, said she remembers Dr Siti Hasmah as a pioneer in several areas of medicine, including family planning and maternal and child health.
She added that the couple always travelled to rural areas to provide free treatment to the poor and underprivileged.
"From the very beginning, if Tun Dr Mahathir saw someone struggling come to the clinic, he would not charge them, or would charge very little. That is something we have kept to this day, charging only low fees.
"Even after Tun Dr Mahathir stopped treating patients to enter politics, this clinic continued to operate and is remembered by the people of Kedah. Even now, some people come to the clinic just to take a photo of the Maha Klinik signboard," she said.
